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Commission adds lateral transfer policy review and advances officer hires
Summary
The Michigan City Police Civil Service Commission on Feb. 11 amended its agenda to add a review of the lateral transfer policy, and staff reported background checks are complete for five applicants with conditional offers recommended for four candidates to proceed to medical and psychological exams and academy registration.
The Michigan City Police Civil Service Commission on Feb. 11 voted to amend its agenda to include consideration of an updated lateral transfer policy and reviewed progress on filling four open officer positions.
Attorney Harris told commissioners the commission’s written lateral transfer policy is outdated and that he will work with the police chief to align the policy with current practice. “We’re going to work with the chief, to find out exactly how the program is currently working, to see if we can identify any areas where the policy is not consistent with the program,” said Unidentified Speaker 5 (Attorney Harris). He said the aim is to attract experienced officers and to ensure the written rules match how the department is operating.
Chief (Unidentified Speaker 3) reported background investigations were complete for five applicants and said the department planned to issue conditional offers to four candidates so they can complete medical and psychological evaluations and, if all goes well, register for the August academy (registration was described as opening April 6). “So we need those initial offers before we can schedule those appointments,” the chief said. He also announced that lateral transfer Jonathan Phelps received a conditional offer and is scheduled to be sworn in Monday, Feb. 16.
Commissioners and staff discussed that lateral transfers can speed hiring and bring experienced officers into the department more quickly than hiring only entry‑level recruits. One commissioner asked for historical numbers on laterals in and out over recent years; the chief said turnover was higher before the lateral program was formalized and agreed to provide a clearer accounting to the commission.
Next steps: Attorney Harris and the chief will review the existing lateral transfer policy and propose updates for the commission’s consideration at a future meeting. The commission did not record any formal vote on policy language at this session.
